'We won't sacrifice religion to gain votes'

By: Izwan Zukhi

TUMPAT: The government is consistent in its stand against issues that can destroy Muslims' faith, such as the call for sexual freedom.

The government would not sacrifice religion in the name of gaining political support, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the government would not follow the direction of opposition parties, which had taken the side of a group calling for sexual freedom, to win support.

"We will never get involved in such an issue as it can damage the aqidah (faith) of Muslims, but the opposition, including Pas, is willing to be a part of it," he said after meeting volunteers of Kelantan Rela and Skim Rondaan Sukarela (SRS) at SMK Chabang Empat here yesterday

"The government will not put aside its long-held beliefs, unlike Pas, which claims to be an Islamic party, but actually compromised its struggle when dealing with such issues."

He announced a RM125,000 allocation to Rela and SRS and handed over water filters worth more than RM100,000 to 30 schools facing a water supply problem.

Earlier, in Kota Baru, Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said people were expected to assess the credibility of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when casting their votes in the next general election.

He said this after addressing a gathering of government retirees in a hotel here.

He added that society had become restless with Parti Keadilan Rakyat's inconsistent policies, fragile partnerships and backfiring strategies.

"People can see what opposition-led state governments have done since coming to power.

"On these counts, many people will say that his (Anwar's) popularity is declining or that he is not getting more support."

He said history had shown that leaders who supported Anwar left him while supporters who felt betrayed by him had abandoned his struggle.

Muhyiddin said there was no truth to a claim, allegedly made by Anwar, that some Sabah BN members of parliament would cross over to the opposition. "It can be another monumental lie, like what happened when he (Anwar) claimed that the opposition would form the Federal Government on Sept 16 (2008), which never materialised."